Don't Walk Away
by Fanfic86
Summary: After years of holding out for Ranger's "Someday", Joe proposes and Stephanie decides it's time to settle down. Before she can 'walk down the aisle', Stephanie challenges Ranger to come clean with his feelings towards her. Babe story...
1. Chapter 1: Late Night Proposal

**This idea has been floating around in my head and I just had to put it on paper so I could stop thinking about it. I'm not expecting this to be a long story but the idea is kinda leading me and I guess I'll see where it goes. **

**Just to be safe: Spoilers through LMT**

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My name is Stephanie Plum. I work for my cousin Vinnie as a Bond Enforcement Agent, better known as a Bounty Hunter. Not my dream job, but hey, I get to make my own schedule and when I get my guy my bank account is happy. My boyfriend Joe hates my job. He thinks I should marry him and have 2.5 kids. Our relationship is complicated and we tend to be off-again more than we are on-again. To make matters worse, I'm in love with my best friend, mentor, sometimes boss, and one time lover; Ranger. Unfortunately Ranger is an _'I don't do relationships'_ and_ 'My love comes with a condom not a ring'_ and my favorite _'I love you... in my own way'_ kinda guy. Even with all his qualifiers I can't seem to get the man out of my head. He has saved me from stalkers, kidnappers, and murderers too many times to count, not to mention all the cars he has given me that I've blown up. I guess technically his love comes with cars, a job, AND condoms.

It was a normal day for me. I got 3 new skips from Connie in the morning after stopping at Tasty Pastry and inhaling a dozen Boston Creams. Then Lula and I made fools of ourselves as we attempted to bring in Luis Marino, arrested for blowing up his wife's car when he caught her with the milk man. Needless to say I lost another POS shit car to an explosive and by the time I managed to run down Mr. Marino we were at the city dump. Don't ask me why my FTA's enjoy blowing up my cars and covering me in garbage, but they do.

By the time I had Luis on the ground and cuffed I was sweaty, smelly, and covered in something that looked like baby puke. Oh... and half of the Trenton police department was laughing and exchanging money. There were only two men not enjoying the scene, Ranger and Morelli. Ranger looked amused and annoyed at the same time. My guess is he enjoys finding me in these situations, but I know he hates the bets the police and his men make at my expense. Morelli was already red in the face and looked like steam was about to come out of his ears. I knew as soon as the crowd cleared we were about to get into a yelling match that would include a lot of Italian hand gestures.

One of the cops, and a good friend of mine, Eddie, agreed to take Luis in so I could go get cleaned up. I was so frustrated and embarrassed I headed back towards my car forgetting the earlier explosion. Lula was nowhere to be found, as usual when the cops show up. All that was left waiting for me was charred metal and soot. Great... now I would have to ask Joe or Ranger for a ride home. I wasn't quite ready to listen to Joe rant about my job and life but I didn't really want to be in close quarters covered in God knows what with Ranger.

I sunk down on the curb and put my head on my knees trying to figure out which scenario was worse when I felt the familiar tingle on the back of my neck signaling Rangers closeness, his black shoes coming into my line of vision seconds later. "Babe." That one word summed up a whole sentence for Ranger. I looked up to see an amused smile playing on his lips as he held his hand out for me. Today 'babe' meant, 'come on, let's get you cleaned up'. With a sigh I let him pull me from the curb and looked over my shoulder to see Joe already driving away. I guess he was okay with Ranger cleaning up the mess this time. Ranger guided me towards his Porsche Turbo and opened the passenger door for me. The smell of new leather wafted out and I closed my eyes keep the tears at bay. If I got in his car the leather would be ruined. As if he read my mind he took his black Rangeman jacket off and placed it on the seat. Sighing in defeat I got in as Ranger slid into the driver's seat. The smell intensified in the enclosed space and I was now pretty sure I had the contents narrowed down to a mixture of tuna and something that most likely came from a baby's diaper. Thankfully Ranger rolled down both our windows as he headed towards my apartment.

In the silence I tried the count the number of FTA's I brought in where I wasn't on the front page of the paper the next day. Maybe Joe and my Mom were right. A normal job would make my life a lot easier. Not only would I not have to worry about my car exploding or crazy people stalking me and breaking into my apartment all the time, I would have a constant income to pay my bills too. I could try to get a job at the Tasty Pastry again, but that could be dangerous for my waist line. Victoria's Secret was hiring the last time I spent my rent money there. I have the experience too since I was a lingerie buyer for Macy's.

"Deep thoughts babe?" Ranger was holding my door open for me. I hadn't even realized we were at my apartment building yet. Ranger saw the realization hit me and I knew what was coming next.

"Yeah, yeah... I need to be more aware of my surroundings." I saw more than heard Ranger chuckle as we headed into my building. I gave up on insisting I didn't need an escort a couple years ago. Turns out there are crazies in my apartment more often than not and it comes in handy to have someone like Ranger confront them rather than me. Except for the time he got shot... but I try not think about that.

Reluctantly I followed Ranger up the stairs and the ache in my legs confirmed my need for more exercise. Once in front of my door panic set in, my purse was in my car, which is now nothing but ash. Ranger raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and opened my door. My mouth dropped "Since when do you have a key to my apartment?" This only earned me a full on Ranger smile as he upholstered his gun an motioned for me to wait in the hall. After thoroughly checking for stalkers I was allowed entrance into my own home.

"I can't do this anymore." I sighed and I kicked my soiled shoes off. Ranger raised an eyebrow at me waiting for me to go on but I just waved him away and headed to my bedroom. Grabbing a change of clothes I stripped and jumped in the shower to wash away another horrible days work. After scrubbing a layer or two of skin off I was pretty sure I no longer smelled like a rotten sandwich and baby poo and made my way to the kitchen. I jumped when I realized Ranger hadn't left. He was leaning on my counter with his arms crossed over his chest. In front of him was my gun, which he must have pulled from my cookie jar, and the key he used to get into my apartment.

"There's no bullets in your gun."

"I'll add it to my grocery list." My reply was sarcastic as I opened my fridge and pulled out two beers.

"You don't have a grocery list." Ranger accepted the offered beer and took a long pull before walking into the living room and settling in on the couch. He flipped the TV on before I could protest and did the one eyebrow thing again when all he got was snow.

"I had to choose between food or cable. Food won." I shrugged, food usually always wins when I have to pick between it and something else. What can I say, I like to eat.

"What food babe? You cupboards are empty and you only have beer and a rotten orange in your fridge."

Giving him my best burg glare I squared my shoulders and replied "If I wanted to be nagged about how I live I would have had Joe bring me home." Drowning my beer I slammed it down on the counter and grabbed the last one in the fridge. I knew I was being childish taking out my bad mood on Ranger. Without turning around I chugged down my second beer hoping Ranger would silently slip out while I was throwing my tantrum.

The hair on my arms raised and felt the tingle in my neck as his placed his hands on either side of me on the counter, pinning me where I was. His breathe tickled my neck and sent tingles further south as he whispered "I'm not nagging babe, just worried about you is all." My heart sped up as he placed a kiss below my ear and continued to work his way down my neck. Closing my eyes I relished the sensations running through my body. Boy did this man know how to kiss. I felt him laugh as I realized I had said that last part out loud. He pushed off the counter and I turned to see him headed towards the door. My Italian temper kicked in again as I realized this man had yet again got me all hot and bothered and was walking away.

"Why do you always walk away from me?" I demanded. He stopped but didn't turn around. "You get me all flustered and then just... leave." I threw my hands up in the air and opened the fridge hoping that it miraculously stocked itself. The empty shelves just made me more mad and I growled in frustration as I shut the door. I jumped as Ranger appeared behind the door and pushed me back into the counter. This time we were face to face and I could see the lust in his eyes.

"You want to know why I walk away from you Stephanie?" Great, he used my name. Without giving me a chance to respond he continued; "If I don't walk away from you, we would do something that you would regret. If I don't walk away from you I would keep you from a future with Morelli. But more importantly," he brushed his lips across mine, "if I don't walk away from you" another soft kiss, "then I would have to see the hurt in your eyes again when I send you back to Morelli in the morning." He finished with another soft kiss and then left.

Ranger's parting comments to me were emotionally exhausting and I decided to just call it a night at 6pm. I unplugged my home phone after the umpteenth call from my mother wanting to know why her daughter has to blow up cars. Does she think I do this on purpose?

It was dark out when something woke me. The clock told me it was just after midnight and I heard my front door closing. I froze, not knowing who was in my apartment. With my history it could be anyone from my Grandmother to Freddy Kruger. Lucky me I left my gun on the kitchen counter where Ranger put it. Not that it would have done any good since it was out of bullets.

"You awake Cupcake?" I let out the breath I was holding and sat up to see Joe standing by my bed. "I know it's late but I just got off and didn't want to wait to talk to you until tomorrow." I knew our routine break-up was coming but I didn't understand why he couldn't have waited until the morning to tell me we were off-again.

"You scared the bejeezus outta me Joe!" Maybe if I started yelling first things could go in my direction. "Couldn't you have called or something?"

I saw his jaw clench and un-clench before he responded. "Yeah well I tried but I kept getting your answering machine and, if you have forgotten so quickly, your cell phone went up in flames today. Again." Right... I guess I had forgot.

"Listen Joe, I've obviously had a bad day. Can we wait to break-up until the morning? I don't really have the energy to argue with you right now." He smiled down at me and started removing his clothes to climb into bed with me. Once he was down to his boxer he lifted the sheets and pulled me down beside him.

"I don't want to break up Cupcake." Okay, now I was confused. He was clearly pissed off this afternoon and he didn't seem to be in the best of mood now either."I think we should get married." I stared to pull away and Joe sensed the rhino in me coming to surface. "Just hear me out Steph." Joe and I were never great at communicating so I decided to settle back and let him have his say. But if he even tried to suggest I quit my job and live off his money barefoot and pregnant, I'd tase him and leave him in the hallway naked for all the old people to see.

"Okay talk" I said smiling to myself as I pictured old Mrs. Bestler finding Joe naked and passed out in the elevator. The guys at the station would love it.

"I know you don't want to quit your job, it gives you a sense of independence. Maybe I've been wrong trying to get you to do what I want you to do." I was speechless. Joe admitting he was wrong? And telling me he doesn't want me to quit my job.

"What about my friends? And Ranger? Are you going to tell me I can keep my job but I have to get new friends?" He had to have some motive behind his change of mind regarding my job.

"Let me ask you something, and be honest with me Steph. Do you really like your job? Do you want to worry about your car blowing up and chasing criminals and rolling around in garbage every day?" Now this I've heard before. But something about the way he was asking this time was different. He wasn't chastising me but honestly asking me if this is what I wanted. It mirrored my thoughts earlier in the day about not wanting to live like this anymore.

Resigned I answered him honestly "No."

"Then marry me Stephanie. Do this bounty hunter thing for however long you need to do it. Take your time finding a job that you really want. You can move in with me to help save money on the bills. Hell, don't work for all I care! Just... marry me, please." My conversation with Ranger from this afternoon came back to me and reminded me that he would never be able to offer me the commitment Joe could. His words rang through my mind _'I don't want to see the hurt on your face when I send you back to Morelli in the morning'. _Maybe I didn't love Joe like I did Ranger, but I did love him... in my own way. I unamusingly chuckled at my thought as it again reminded me of Rangers qualifiers.

Maybe it was time to grow up and settle down. My hope for a 'someday' with Ranger was clearly not happening anytime soon. Hell, Ranger would probably never be ready for a relationship. At least with Joe he didn't send me away in the morning.

"Okay." I sighed as I let sleep take me again.

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**I promise this is a Babe story... just need to get through this first part. **

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2: Another Man's Money

The next morning Joe dropped me at the bonds office bright and early.

"Call if you need a ride home Cupcake!" He waved and drove off. It was 8am and Connie was just opening the office.

"Hey girl!" She said by way of greeting as I flopped onto the brown leather sofa. "You sleeping with Morelli this week?" She laughed at my glare and handed me a bag of donuts.

"You are a savior!" I pulled out a boston cream and began to stuff my face. Vinnie arrived as Connie and I finished off the last of the donuts.

"Shouldn't you be trying to find a skip." He snarled on his way to his personal office. "I could always hire Joyce Barnhardt back if you don't think you can handle the work load." Ugh, just the mention of Joyce makes me want to puke.

"I only have 2 outstanding skips and one of them is Mooner. Don't get your panties in a bunch." I yelled as he slammed and locked his door. Connie and I both stuck out tongues out at the closed door and then laughed. "I have to wait for Lula... my car exploded yesterday."

"You can take my car if you want to go get Mooner." Connie held the keys to her Toyota Camry out to me.

"Sure. Thanks!" I grabbed the keys and took off for Mooners. Typical of Mooner he was in the middle of a Scooby Doo marathon and it took an hour to convince him that his DVR was working and he wouldn't miss any episodes. When I got Mooner processed and fielded dozens of congratulations from the officers I knew it was close to noon and I headed back to the office. Lula was there and in full Rhino mode.

"How come my best friend gets engaged and I have to hear it from one of the girls down on Stark street?" Today Lula was wearing pink zebra spandex skirt and a two sizes too small just as pink t-shirt. I looked to Connie for help but she only nodded her agreement and went back to filing her nails.

I shrugged, "I haven't even told my mom yet" was my response quickly followed by a sinking suspicion that if the girls down on Stark street know then my mom knows. She's probably having a fit not being able to reach me since my phone exploded with the car yesterday.

Lula and Connie gaped at me "You haven't told your mom!" Connie yelled.

"I don't have a cell phone! It blew up in my car yesterday. I was going to use the money from Mooner and Luis to get a new one today." I slumped down onto the sofa and began to contemplate the disaster my life was once again when I felt the familiar tingle indicating Ranger's presence.

I looked up as Vinnie's office door opened and out walked Ranger. My mouth dropped open as I looked out the front windows to see how I missed Ranger's car. Nope, no batmobile parked on the street. Glancing back towards Vinnie's office I tried to figure out where Ranger came from. _He probably just appeared out of thin air_. I thought to myself. God I hope he hadn't heard what we were just talking about. This was not the way I wanted Ranger to find out I had agreed to marry Morelli.

He nodded to Lula and Connie and leaned over Connie's desk to pull out the bug Vinnie had planted. Great. He had heard.

Connie turned red, "You little rat Vinnie!"

"Can I see you outside Steph?" I followed him out the door and around to our favorite spot in the alley where a shiny new black truck was parked. Ah, so he can't just materialize wherever he wants. He must have gone in through the alley door without anyone noticing.

I was prepared for his usual poaching but today he stood a few feet away from me with his blank face. I decided it was best to pretend he hadn't heard about my recent engagement. "What's up Ranger?" Denial is my best friend.

"Got a job for you, if your interested. Distraction, tonight, 9pm" So I guess he wasn't going to talk about it either.

"Sure. Is this a slutty distraction or classy distraction?" I saw the crinkles around Rangers eyes letting me know he was probably smiling on the inside.

"Wear the black dress. I'll pick you up at 8:30" He answered as he nodded a dismissal and climbed into his truck. I started back to the office when he called out "Babe, here."

He was holding a new black coach purse out the window. "I thought you might need a few things since your purse was in your car yesterday." The bag was heavy and before I could say thanks he was gone.

I debated on going through the contents of the purse in the alley but knew Lula and Connie would make me tell them what was in it anyway so I headed back into the office.

"Why you would marry Morelli when you have the fine piece of ass lusting after you is beyond me." Connie said as her and Lula fanned themselves.

"Mmmhmmm." Lula agreed. "Batman get you a new purse?"

I nodded as I dumped the contents onto Connie's desk. I couldn't help but smile at the box of bullets for my Smith and Wesson with a sticky note on them reading 'Babe'. He had also included a new cell phone, credit card, and keys. Lula reached for the keys as Connie grabbed the credit card.

"Black Amex! Damn Steph I hope you are sleeping with that man." I took the card from Connie and noticed it was Rangeman credit card with my name embedded to it. No way was I using this. Ranger already spends too much money on me. Not to mention my new fiancé probably wouldn't be too thrilled about me spending another man's money.

I reached for the keys next and smiled as I recognized the batman logo on the key chain. Glancing outside I saw the Black Audi A8 parked at the curb. A black explorer was driving in the opposite direction. All I could think was; _Morelli's gonna be pissed. _


	3. Chapter 3: Going Undercover

**Thanks for the reviews! I promise this will be a Babe story. :)**

**Also... I've never written SMUT before so I'm easing my way into it. Thanks for your feedback and patience. **

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Connie, Lula, and I were hovered over a bucket of fried chicken from Cluck-in-a-Bucket when Morelli pulled up to the front of the office. It was almost 5pm and I needed to head home to get ready for my distraction job so I gathered up my new coach purse and met him on the sidewalk.

"Hey Cupcake" Joe was leaning on his POS cop car with his arms crossed over his chest. He reached out for me as I approached and pulled me in for a searing kiss. "Thought I'd see if you needed a ride home."

Okay, so I could just get in the car with him and leave the Audi overnight. Put off the fight until tomorrow. But then it would probably get stolen or vandalized. I really didn't want to ruin one of Rangers cars before having it my possession less than 12 hours. This could also be a test to see how serious he was about letting me have my independence. Maybe he really did turn over a new leaf and won't care that Ranger gave me an 80 thousand dollar car. Yeah right.

Sighing I motioned towards the Audi. "Ranger…."

I saw his jaw ticking as he nodded like he already knew. His cop face slid into place and boyfriend Joe was gone. Glancing at his watch he said "I'm still on the clock. Maybe we should take a look at the registration and stuff. See if this car is legal." We stared at each other for a few minutes, neither one knowing who should make the first move. Joe knew I would never let him search Ranger's car, and I knew even if he did there wouldn't be anything incriminating for him to find. Finally he pushed himself off the car and made his way over to the driver's side door. "I'm going undercover for a couple weeks. Think you can take care of Bob?"

"Sure." Bob was at one time my dog but he seemed to like Joe and his house better. That and the fact that I can never seem to feed myself much less a dog that eats anything and everything.

"You should move your stuff in while I'm gone. We'll have you parents and my mom over for dinner when I get back." He tapped the roof of the car and slid into the driver's seat, "I'll call when I can" and he drove off.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Joe really did seem to be trying to make this work, but I couldn't help feeling like the other shoe was about to drop. He hated when Ranger loaned me cars. Was always ranting about how they were probably stolen or something.

"You in the doghouse white girl?" Lula called from her Firebird.

"Surprisingly no."

It was almost 830 and I was showered, exfoliated, buffed, and polished. The black dress Ranger had asked me to wear was a halter that fit me like a sleeve and stopped about 2 inches past my ass. I was just slipping on my FMP's when I heard the locks on my door tumble. Right before Ranger walked in I felt that familiar tingle indicating his presence.

Ranger leaned against the door jamb of my bedroom and admired the view. I could tell he lingered on my hips and breasts. When his eyes reached mine they were full of lust and a small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "Looking good Babe."

Blushing I grabbed my black clutch and followed Ranger out the door. Throwing the locks I turned to walk down the hall but was pushed back up against the door. Ranger's hands were on my waist holding me in place and he nuzzled my neck. . I moaned as Rangers lips worked their way up my neck and his mouth found my sensitive spot behind my ear. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back relishing the feel of him this close to me. Hormone Stephanie wanted to throw open the door and invite him into the bed, but broke Stephanie reminded me that rent was already 3 days late

"We're going to be late." I breathlessly sighed as his hands slid up my side and skimmed the outside of my breast. He continued to nip and suck at my neck as his hands found their way to the front of my breasts. His mouth finally found mine and I let out the moan I was suppressing. One arm wrapped around my back pulling me tighter to him as his tongue swept across my lower lip asking for entrance. His body was hard, everywhere, pressed up against me and all I could concentrate on was the caress of his mouth on mine. I laced my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss and his hand dipped into the top of my dress. I let out another moan and ground my hips against his. I was panting and out of breath as he broke the kiss.

"Just needed to put the wire on you babe." He whispered giving me his wolf grin. I stared open mouthed at him. "Come on, Tank's waiting for us downstairs."

I followed him in silence out of the building. Ranger's Porsche was idling at the door and Tank was ready to follow in a company Explorer. Ranger opened the passenger door for me and I gave Tank a finger wave making his smile. Once Ranger settled in to the car I started in. "So, that was just about putting a wire one me huh?"

Ranger barely lifted his shoulders, the closest he would ever come to shrugging. "Never like to miss an opportunity make you blush either Babe."

For some reason the whole situation just pissed me off. I was so tired of his man poaching whenever he wanted, not caring about how it affected me. I crossed my arms and looked out the window as we got on the freeway. "I am engaged now you know." I huffed. It's not right to poach another man's fiancé."

He glanced my way before saying "I don't see a ring on your finger. Not that it would stop me even if there was. Just like it never stopped me when you just another man's girlfriend."

How dare he! One day he's telling me he can't stand the hurt look on my face when he turns me down and the next he doesn't care that I'm trying to find my happiness in life. Well, this was going to stop. I was putting my foot down. No more make out sessions with batman. He needs to learn to keep his hands to himself. If he doesn't like it, then maybe he should get his head out of his ass and do something about it. And more than just make out with me in an alley. I want a commitment at least.

I told Joe I would marry him because he was going to let me keep being me. The least I could do was stop whatever was going on between me and Ranger and try to be a good little wife. _Oh shit! I'm going to be a wife again. _Black dots appeared in my vision and I was feeling a bit nauseated.

"Breathe babe" Ranger's warm hand push my head down between my legs. I felt the car slowing and thought he was stopping so I wouldn't puke in his Porsche.

"I'm okay now. You don't have to pull over." I really wasn't feeling much better but I didn't want to be the cause of Ranger showing up late for a job.

Cool air hit me and I realized that Ranger had come around and was kneeling beside me. The title _wife _kept playing over and over in my head making my heart race and my stomach turn. "You don't look okay Steph. What's wrong?" He was waiting for an answer as he rubbed a soothing hand over my back. My heart began to slow and the nausea passed.

I leaned my head against the back of the seat and realized we were in a parking lot for the Marriott. "Everything okay boss?" Tank asked as he approached the car.

"No need to worry boys. Just a minor panic attack." I waved them both off and started to get out of the car. "This is an everyday occurrence in the life of Stephanie Plum." Okay I knew I was being retarded but I really didn't want to have a discussion with Ranger or Tank about the reason behind my freak out.

Ranger nodded to Tank and he headed towards the hotel. "Skip will be in the bar. His name is Tommy Delfino." I was handed a picture of a man mid-thirties, dark hair, blue eyes, very handsome. Maybe he was single and we could date when he got out of jail. The thought made me laugh, then I remembered I would be married by the time he got out of jail and I didn't think it was funny anymore.

"He'll be here all week if you want to go back home Steph."

"Rent was due 3 days ago. I need this job tonight Ranger." He nodded and continued to fill me in on the take down.

"Tank and Cal are in the hotel room next to Delfino. Lester is posing as the bartended. Hal will be at one of the tables like he is a guest. I'll be watching you the whole time but you won't see me. See if you can get him to invite you up to his room. There's a connecting door and once you are in there Tank and Cal will take care of the arrest. If he suggests you guys leave to go to another bar, I have Zero and Binkie watching the parking lot. We'll do the take down before you get into the car with him. Any questions?"

It always amazed me how thought out these take downs were. Every exit and scenario was covered. I shook my head, checked my make-up and hair in the side mirror, and headed towards the hotel.


	4. Chapter 4: The Distraction

The hotel lounge was dim and it took me a minute to spot Hal at a table towards the back. Lester was making dinks for a couple women sitting at the bar and he winked at me when we made eye contact. I slowly walked into the room scanning all the faces for Delfino. He was sitting in a booth a couple spots away from Hal. I found an empty table that gave me an easy view of Tommy and a waitress quickly approached the table to get my order.

"A glass of White Wine please" No need to start drinking hard alcohol. Lord knows one glass of wine and I'm tipsy. "Can you also send that man" I nodded towards Delfino "another of whatever he's drinking." I watched as the waitress poured my wine and Lester filled a cup with ice pouring a dark liquid over it. She dropped off the wine first and then delivered the drink to Delfino.

He looked confused at first but smiled and nodded at me once the waitress explained. Sipping my wine I crossed my legs giving him a better view of my 3 inch FMP's. We made eye contact a few times before he motioned for me to join him. _Score. _

As I settled across from him he asked "What's a pretty thing like you doin all alone?" If he only knew how NOT alone we were right now.

I smiled and shrugged, "My husband and I were supposed to go on vacation together but I found out he was sleeping with his secretary so I decided to take the trip alone and see what kind of trouble I could get myself into." I winked as I said the last part and Delfino's eyes roamed down to my breast.

"Dressed like that I'm sure trouble isn't too far away." He motioned for the waitress to bring another round of drinks. I hadn't realized my wine was gone and knew I shouldn't drink another glass but hey, no harm in having a little fun before a take-down. Besides, I was still a little pissed at Ranger's comments earlier about not caring if I was a taken woman. "So, what's a beautiful girl like you have for a name?"

"Kelsey and you?"

"Marco." _Liar._ "Kelsey huh?" _Uh oh. Did he recognize me from one of the stories in the paper? _"I think a woman as beautiful as you are should have a more sensual name. Something like… Scarlett." I felt his hand on my calf under the table and had to swallow the urge to jump. "Can I call you Scarlett?" His hand continued to travel up my leg and was resting on my thigh dangerously close to the promise land.

"You can call me whatever you like Marco." I plastered a smile on my face and his fingers began tracing patterns on my thigh. "Maybe we can take these drinks up to your room?" His fingers stilled and I thought I was worried I had pushed too soon so I placed my hand on top of his and said "It's just that it feels so good already, I would hate to get us kicked out of the hotel for creating a…. scene."

With his free hand he motioned for the check and pulled his wallet out placing a couple $20's on the table. "For the ladies drinks as well," he told the waitress while pulling me from my seat and offering me his arm. His manners surprised me as most FTA's I encounter and crazies that like to blow up stuff. He was probably bonded out on extortion or something. I'd have to remember to ask Ranger when this was over.

We silently made our way through the lobby and into the elevator. He swiped his key and pushed 18. As soon as the elevator lifted he pressed me into the wall and crushed his lips to mine. _Ah, here was his flaw: Bad kisser. _I had to remind myself to pretend to enjoy it but it was hard when only an hour earlier Batman had my panties wet from just a look. I made the right noises every couple of seconds to encourage him. His hands roamed my body making the nausea from earlier return. When he reached into the top of the dress I froze. "What's the matter Stephanie? Afraid I'll find your wire?" _Shit._

Before I could react he slammed my head into the side of the elevator and everything went black.

People were talking but I couldn't focus on what they were saying, the pain in my head was too bad. It felt like my brain was going to explode. "Stephanie, please open your eyes." I felt his hand brushing my hair out of my face and tried to open my eyes. The light was too bright and my stomach rolled at the pain it caused. There was no time for words, I turned onto my side and threw up, right in Rangers lap.

"Oh fuck boss!" Lester's voice tore through my head making my stomach roll again. This time I was able to move so I didn't puke on Batman… again.

"Quiet Santos!" Ranger barked. "Go pull my car to the front. She needs to get to the hospital. Tank, make sure that asshole trips over his own feet down the stairs. If he breaks and arm or two on the way down that's okay too." His voice was hard but his hands were soft as he lifted me. I felt the elevator shift as we made our decent and groaned as the sensation threatened to empty more of my stomach contents. "Sorry Babe." He whispered before brushing a kiss across my forehead. I nuzzled my head between his shoulder and neck and concentrated on the intoxicating smell that was Ranger.

When I woke again my head didn't hurt as bad. I waited a few seconds to see how my stomach was going to react but that seemed okay too. Slowly I opened my eyes and immediately recognized my surroundings. Yup, I was in the hospital. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened. I was in the elevator with the FTA when he found my wire. That's the last thing I remember before…. "Oh god".

"Steph, you okay?" I opened my eyes and was staring into the dark pools of the man I puked on.

"I threw up on you." I said by way of greeting. Ranger smiled and kissed my forehead. Of all the people to puke on it had to be Ranger.

"Yeah, you owe me." He teased.

An hour later I was on my way back to Rangeman. The doctor would only release me if I had someone to wake me up every 2 hours for the next 24 hours and since Joe was out of town and didn't have the energy to deal with my mother's rants about how Mrs. Carcetti's daughter doesn't end in up in the hospital with concussions, I reluctantly agreed to go home with Ranger.

I shot up as I remembered Joe being undercover "Shit! Bob!" I can't even remember to take care of a damn dog, no wonder my life was a disaster.

"Zero's on it Babe."

"What? How…?"

Ranger just smiled. "I figured we were going to have a long night so I asked Zero to stop by Morelli's and take care of Bob until you were feeling better."

If it wasn't for Ranger God knows how much worse I would be. That thought made me sad as I realized I would need to start separating myself from Ranger and watch out for myself better. Who knows how long Morelli's change of heart was going to last. As soon as he gets tired of watching another man take care of me I'm sure he'll drop another ultimatum. I just hope he does it before we get married that way I can back out. Shit. That's the second time tonight I've tried to find a way out of a marriage that hasn't even started yet_._ What type of girlfriend am I that wishes for her boyfriend would do something so that she can break up with him?

"Deep thoughts babe?"

Sighing I shook my head and closed my eyes. I had a strange sense of déjà vu as I woke up being cradled in Ranger's arms as the elevator ascended to the 7th floor. Strong willed Stephanie wanted to insist on walking the rest of the way but weak Stephanie loved being so close to Ranger and won out. Ranger fobbed open his door and set me on his bed. He had helped me changed into a pair of his sweats and a Rangeman t-shirt before leaving the hospital so I eagerly climbed under the soft sheets.

Ranger slid in behind me and wrapped me in his arms placing a kiss on the back of my neck. There was a strong sense of contentment laying in his arms and for a minute I thought of Joe trying to dig up an emotion that would remind me being so close to Ranger was bad but none would come. I quickly fell into a peaceful sleep knowing Ranger would watch over me all night.


	5. Chapter 5: A not so Good Morning

**Thanks for all the reviews! This chapter has Smut... just a warning. Also, this is my first time attempting to write Smut so please bear with me. :)**

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The ringing of a phone jolted me awake. Ranger had been waking me every two hours as instructed by the Doctor. Glancing at the clocked I noted it had only been 20 minutes since he last roused me. The bed shifted as Ranger reached over me for his phone. I felt sorry for whoever was on the other line as he greeted them with a deadly "What?"

He resumed his position behind me and pulled me close while the unmistakable voice of my current fiancé was heard on the other line. It was hard to make out exactly what was being said but I was pretty sure I could hear the word bastard being thrown around a lot. For a second I thought Ranger might have fallen back to sleep because I could hear Joe yelling "Hello!" and "Answer me you fucking mercenary!".

Finally he sighed, yes Ranger actually sighed, and said "She's curled up in bed next to me Joe, if you'd like to ask her yourself. " I tensed. What was Ranger doing? I turned to face him and he smiled down at me. I returned his smile with my best burg glare, sat up, and grabbed the phone from him.

"Hi Joe."

"Stephanie…." My name was growled and there was a pause while I could picture him eyes closed, head down, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he continued the anger in his voice was only barely contained. "What the fuck happened? And why are in bed Range?"

"It's no big deal Joe. Just a little concussion. I hit my head while working a distraction for Ranger last night." Hit… more like the piece of shit knew who I was and pummeled my head into the side of the steel elevator. But what Joe didn't know couldn't make him any angrier. I decided to skip answering about why I was in bed with another man.

"You are not working for Rangeman anymore." Here comes the ultimatum. Of course I was ready and, honestly, excited that I could take out some of my pent up energy by letting my Italian temper fly.

"Excuse me?" I yelled, voice an octave higher than usual. "You do not get to tell me what I can and can't do Joe. You said that you didn't care if I continued working as a bounty hunter until I found something else. What? Were you expecting me to find something in two days?" I was getting more and more worked up and flung Rangers arm that had snaked around my waist from me, followed by the blankets, and began to pace the floor. "I knew this was all a ploy to get me to marry you. Did you think you would just tell me what I wanted to hear and then change your mind after we were married and living together?" I was taking a breath to continue but he cut me off.

"Fuck Stephanie! Working for Ranger is NOT working as a bounty hunter!" The anger he was trying to contain was let loose and I had to pull the phone away from my ear to control the volume. "You want to keep working for Vinnie fine. But you are not to work for Ranger any longer." I wanted to throw the phone against the wall but thought better of it since it happened to be Rangers. I closed my eyes and counted to 10 before responding. There was no way in hell I was letting Joe dictate who or what company I was working for. There was a noise in the background that stopped me in my tracks. Was that a woman laughing? I concentrated on her voice. Yup. That was most definitely Terry Gilman.

I balled my fists and as calmly as I could asked "Is that Terry Gilman I hear?"

"We're working together." Silence. Did I understand correctly. Joe just told me that I could no longer work for Ranger but didn't see a problem with working with his ex-girlfriend. He must have sensed my train of thought so he continued, "It's police business Stephanie. Nothing I can do about it."

"Here's the deal Morelli," I spit his name making it sound like something derogatory, "If you get to work with Terry, then I get to work with Ranger." I slammed the phone shut before he could respond and turned my anger on Ranger.

"You okay Babe?" I've never known Ranger to waste his breath asking unnecessary questions, so this was a first.

"Did you just ask me if I was okay?" Usually after a fight with Morelli I'm exhausted, but the only thing I could feel right now was a fire burning in my stomach and unhinged anger at two men. One who wants to control me and another who has been playing with my emotions for 5 years now.

As usual my anger amused Ranger and a small smile played on his lips. That's it. I balled his phone in my hands and flung it towards him on the bed. Of course this is Ranger and he just reached out and caught it, pissing me off even more. He didn't hide the surprise from me and raised an eyebrow as if asking if I felt better now.

It was in this moment I finally realized why toddlers scream and yell while either stomping their feet or throwing themselves on the floor. Turning on my heel, I grabbed my clutch from the night before, and bounded out of his apartment towards the elevator. It wasn't until I was headed down to the garage I realized I was only wearing a Rangeman shirt. I must have taken my sweatpants off at some point during the night and I was definitely not wearing any shoes. Trying to hide my embarrassment I gave the camera in the corner a little finger wave as I advanced into the garage.

"Fuck!" I screamed as I punched 5 and ascending to the control room. When the doors opened all eyes were glued to me and Tank was waiting with a phone extended. "If you make me take that phone I will break it in half Tank."

I could see the distress on his face as I'm sure Ranger gave him a direct order to hand me the phone. Ignoring his conversation with Ranger over the phone I yelled out to the control room. "Someone give me a set of goddamn keys so I can go home!"

I had to hide the smile on my face as 5 sets of keys were immediately thrown my way. Tank had moved over to the control panel and no longer was talking on the phone. I picked up a set to one of the explorers and punched the button to head back down to the garage. Nothing happened. I punched it again but the doors wouldn't close and the elevator wasn't moving.

"Something's wrong with the elevator Tank!"

All eyes were still on me. Tank had a pained expression on his face. I gave him my best glare and stalked towards him. "Turn. On. The. Fucking. Elevator." Each work was emphasized with a poke to his chest. I knew he was torn between the wrath of Ranger and the wrath of a woman who I'm sure he thought had gone completely nuts. He must have realized that, as much as I could yell, scream, and glare; there wasn't a lot of physical harm I could do to him. Ranger on the other hand…. "Fine." I said as I turned towards the stairs.

I crossed my arms over my chest suddenly very self conscious of the fact that I was not wearing a bra either, and marched through the 5th floor without looking anyone in the eye. I could only imagine how embarrassed I was going to be once the anger wore off. Before I could get to the stairwell it opened and Batman himself started towards me with a pointed looked. Oh shit. I was in so much trouble. I turned to head back towards the elevators, not sure where I was going to go from there, when he grabbed my arm and steered me towards his office. He nodded to Tank and yelled for everyone to get back to work before not so gently pushing me into his office and slamming the door.

Okay, so maybe I had overreacted this morning. Ranger stood in front of the door, hands on hips, jaw set, and eyes burning into mine. I started to open my mouth but was stopped when he put his hand up. I've only seen Ranger truly angry a few times and none of those times was his anger directed at me. I quickly understood why all of his employees jumped when he said jump, and I had to fight the urge to crawl in hole and cry. I knew Ranger would never hurt me, at least physically, but being on the receiving end of this gaze was starting to make me anxious. He must have seen the emotion change on my face and he relaxed his posture and softened his gaze.

"You could have at least put some pants on Stephanie." He motioned towards my bare legs. This time I let the embarrassment come and I knew my face was as red as a tomato. "You want to tell me what all this is about?"

How do I answer his question when I have no idea what was causing me to be this angry. Except I did know, I just didn't want to admit it. I shook my head no and sat in one of the chairs across from his desk.

"I think you owe me some sort of explanation. This is my business Stephanie," there he was using my full name again, great, "you can't just storm down here, half dressed, and disrupt the work day." Okay so he had a point there. And I guess it was nice to know his anger was at me disrupting his business and not me throwing the phone at him. Shit, I puked on Batman and threw a phone at him in less than 12 hours. No wonder his life can't lend itself to a relationship with me. Hell, I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with me either.

I shrugged, "I don't really know what to say Ranger. I can't really explain why I got so mad." My emotions were well on their way to defeat and humiliation. He sat in the chair next to me and turned us so our knees were touching. I didn't want to look at him too afraid I would see disappointment in his eyes.

He lifted my chin and said "Yes you do Steph. You just don't want to admit it." It was gentle and knowing and I felt tears threaten to spill over. Ranger was the only person that could see right through my lies and denials. It's why I was so connected to him. He saw me as I was and never turned his back, even if he didn't like something he saw.

"I don't want to marry Morelli." I whispered letting a few tears fall. He nodded knowingly and wiped the tears away with his thumbs.

"Why?"

"Why what?" I asked confused. Still a little in shock I had just admitted what I was feeling out loud.

"Tell me why you don't want to marry Morelli."

Was he going to try to convince me I should marry him? "For starters I don't think I should be marrying someone when the thought of it sends me into a panic attack." He smiled and motioned for me to go on. Wasn't that good enough? I sighed and continued, "I'm not in love with him." There. I said it. I'm not in love with Joe. Never have been. I love him, but my heart has belonged to someone else for 5 years now.

"I can't give you what you need Stephanie." Ranger whispered. Crap. I must have said that last part out loud. Ranger nodded confirming my suspicions. I really needed to learn to keep my thoughts in my head.

His comment hit me and while I was trying to not let myself get so angry again, I couldn't help the frustration I felt from it. I pulled away from his touch and said, "How would you know? You've never even asked me what I need Ranger."

"My life doesn't lend itself…. " I held out my hand indicating he should stop talking.

"I've heard it all before Ranger. You life doesn't lend itself to relationships." I stood and looked down at him. The courage to challenge him came out of nowhere. The events of the last couple of days had built up enough that I didn't want to do this dance anymore. I was tired of pretending Ranger and I didn't have a connection. And by the time I walk out of this office today there was going to be a clear understanding of where we stand with each other. "What do you call this?" I motioned between us.

He looked up at me, brows furrowed. "I don't understand what you mean." Was he kidding?

"Ranger, we've been in a fucking relationship for years now." If I was going to do this I needed room to pace. I moved away from the chairs and started burning a trail from couch to door. "Everybody sees it. Even Joe sees it! It may not be the most conventional relationship, but it's more than you want to let it on to be."

"Steph…." He was still sitting in the chair, elbows resting on his knees, staring at the ground, "I can't offer you marriage and kids and the stability that others could." I finally realized it. Ranger was stupid when it came to relationships. I finally found Batman's flaw.

"You're kidding right? You are using the argument of marriage and kids?" I threw my head back and laughed. "Do you forget what happened last night when I remembered I told Joe I would marry him? Dear lord Ranger, we almost had to cancel the damn distraction I was such a mess." I continued to laugh. "You're going to have to come up with a better argument than that because clearly I am nowhere near being ready for marriage and kids. Hell, I forget to feed Rex half the time."

"There are other reasons Stephanie." He stood up resuming his position of control by placing his hands on hips, feet spread shoulder width. Dressed in all black with his cargo pants and combat boots I smiled at the thought of him yelling orders to soldiers while standing like. It was his safe position, much like my burg glare. We both resorted to these actions when we felt vulnerable because they made us feel in control.

"Name them," I challenged. He stared at me for a couple of beats before crossing the room and opening a duffle bag he always stored with extra supplies. Throwing a pair of pants at me he said "I can't think when you don't have any pants on."

Seeing Ranger flustered was shocking but I pulled his pants on and cinched the waist to keep them from falling down. "Okay, now that I have pants on, tell me what it is you think I want that you can't give me."

He sat in his chair and folded his hands on his desk. Our eyes never broke as he said "Commitment." Well that was one thing I did require. He saw he hit the right spot and he dared me to argue with his gaze.

For a second I thought about taking the pants back off so I could gain the upper hand again but I figured I had embarrassed myself enough this morning. "What exactly do you mean by commitment Ranger?" Maybe if I could get him to say more I could find a flaw in his thinking. When he didn't respond I decided to think it out for him. "We've already determined neither one of is ready for marriage or kids. The only commitment I require is knowing you are sleeping with other women. Other than that, I don't see why anything else needs to change between us. We don't have to have a 5 year plan on where we'll be."

"And what about when I'm on a mission? Are you going to get so lonely that you run back to Morelli?" Ouch. I guess I deserved that. My track history isn't great on waiting around. Would I run back to Morelli? No. The other reason I know I can't marry him is because my gut tells me he has something with Terry and I can't just keep ignoring that anymore either. Joe and I were done, whether he knew it yet or not.

"No. I'm done with Joe." I shook my head and headed for the door. I was exhausted and felt like I was getting dangerously close to begging Ranger to take the empty spot that would now be in my bed. I felt tears stinging my eyes again, but this time it was in frustration with myself. When did I become the girl who was afraid to be alone? No. I knew Ranger was wrong, but before I push this any further, I need to get myself together.

"Don't walk away from me Stephanie." There it was again, my full name. I felt him come up behind me and cover my hand on the door with his. He turned me so I was facing him and I was surprised by the lust in his eyes. Before I had a chance to say anything his lips crashed down on mine and he pressed me into the door.

I moaned as his tongue forced its way into my mouth and snaked my arms around his neck. His hands were everywhere and I thought I would melt from the sensations running through me. I ran my hands down his arms relishing the feel of his hard muscles. Instantly I wanted more and pulled at his shirt trying to get to his stomach and chest. His hands left my hips and he threw his shirt over his head, grinding his hips into mine. His mouth returned to my neck sucking and nipping at all the right spots and warm sensations started south. He pulled away from my neck and I groan to protest. I felt him chuckle as he pulled my shirt over my head and bent to take my nipple in his mouth. His hand worked the other and I leaned my head back against the door and moaned.

His mouth worked its way back up my neck and he lifted me under my ass. Wrapping my legs around him I could feel his erection pressing into my center and I breathlessly begged for more. Not breaking contact he moved so we were on the couch him between my legs. I arched my back trying to rub myself on him but not getting much contact with both of us still wearing most of our clothes.

His hand slid down my stomach and untied the pants. In one fluid motion my pants and underwear were on the floor and I held in a scream as his fingers entered me. His mouth continued to assault my breasts, taking turns with each nipple while his fingers brought me closer and closer to orgasm. I could feel my walls clench around him and he used his thumb to rub my clit sending me over edge, letting out a scream I'm sure all of Rangeman heard.

His lips found mine again as he kicked off his boots and unbuttoned his pants. I reached down to grasp him and he gasped in my ear. "Dios, Babe." I was still coming down from my orgasm and his words caused my walls to tighten again and I moaned at the sensation. I continued to stroke him until he couldn't take it anymore and held both of my hands above my head sliding into me. I felt a rush of warmth as he thrust into me slow and hard and knew I would be flying again very soon.

"Faster Ranger." I moaned as he pulled almost all the way out before plunging in me again. He sped up his movements and I arched to meet him, wrapping my legs around his waist to pull all of him inside of me.

Our hands were still intertwined above my head and I felt him tighten his grasp letting me know he was close. "Touch me… please." One of his hands slid down and pinched the nipple that wasn't in his mouth making me groan louder. His hips sped up and I could feel my orgasm building in my stomach as his hand reached the promised land. One touch and white hot electricity shot through my body. "Ranger fuck!" I screamed and his movements becoming primal as he pounded into me roughly. I had barely come down from my second orgasm when another one took me, this time taking Ranger as well. I felt him spill into me as his lips met mine swallowing up our cries of pleasure.

We lay there out of breath caressing each other for a couple of minutes before he pulled out of me, rolling us so I was lying on top of him. "My men are going to give me so much shit for this."

We both laughed and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6 : Red and Black Panties

**Thanks for the reviews. I was really nervous about the Smut but had so much fun doing it and I had to do it again. :)**

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"Are you going to hide out in my office all day Babe?" I had been doing skip tracing for Ranger for a couple hours, not daring to step foot out of his office until… forever. Well, either that or until I couldn't hold my bladder any longer, and it was getting dangerously close to that point. Thinking about it made me squirm and Ranger raised an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I pretended to not know what he was talking about. "There's a lot of skips here. I'm just trying to help." I shrugged and adjusted my position again as I held in a grimace at the pain my bladder was in.

Ranger chuckled and came around the desk, pulling me to my feet. Please God, don't let me pee my pants in front of Ranger. He threw his head back and laughed out loud. Great, I said that out loud. "Babe, I'll walk you up to 7 myself if you are afraid the guys will give you a hard time." He flung his arm around my shoulder and started leading me out of his office. I thought about taking off at a run for the elevator but I figured that would bring more attention to me than necessary. So instead, I stuck my chin up and pretended like the morning events had never happened. I knew I had nothing to worry about with Ranger around, he had probably already threatened everyone with extra mat time or sending them to a third world country if they said anything; I was worried about the next time one of his Merry Men had to come rescue me and Ranger wasn't around to remind them to keep their mouths shut.

We reached the elevator and as soon as the doors opened I rushed in and ran into what could have been a brick wall. My face turned bright red as Tank reached out to steady me. "Sorry about that" he said, stepping around me and nodding to Ranger.

Lester was also in the elevator and Ranger held his hand on the doors and indicated for him to step out. He was smiling down at me and it took all of my courage not to hide behind Ranger. "Feeling better Bomber?" He asked, winking.

My face heated up even more, if that was possible, and I wanted nothing more than to pass out or let God strike me dead. "Santos" Ranger growled only making his smile wider.

"Boss I was wondering if I could bring one of my dates back to the office sometime. It's always been a fantasy of mine to….." Rangers hand shot out cutting off his breath and sentence. Holding him by his throat, he walked him out of the elevator and deposited him at the monitors. I couldn't hear what was said but Lester's smile disappeared and he paled. If I wasn't so embarrassed I might have felt sorry for him.

Once we got up to 7 I made a beeline to the bathroom and moaned at the relief I felt. Ranger knocked on the door "Babe, you keep making those noises I'm going to come in there and take advantage of you again." I smiled at the thought of another Ranger induced orgasm but declined his offer.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and then I need to get home." I yelled out as I turned on the water. Stripping my close off, I glanced in the mirror and yelped. My hair was all over the place and there were love bites covering my neck and breasts. I touched the ones on my breast and suppressed a groan not wanting to encourage Ranger anymore than I already had.

Stepping under the hot spray I thought back to the first time we had slept together. Ranger had made me a deal, saying if he helped me bring in DeChooch I had to spend a night with him. At the time I agreed and wasn't sure if he would really follow through, but he did, promising to ruin me for all other men. He hadn't been gentle with me that night, but he wasn't rough either. I'll admit, I felt awkward at first because I wasn't sure where I stood with Ranger at the time. He broke something in me that next day when he told me to repair my relationship with Morelli. I felt used and thrown away. While he always promised to fill the spot in my bed if Morelli was out of the picture too long, I never expected him to fill a spot in my heart either.

Sex with Ranger is explosive, but until this morning I wasn't sure if that one night had been so amazing because of all the sexual tension between us, or if we really did have chemistry. There is no doubt in my mind we have chemistry now. I had no idea where we were going from here, and honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted more than what we had at the moment. When I made the decision to break it off with Joe I also made one to fix myself. I guess Ranger and I still had some discussing to do.

Sighing I shampooed and conditioned my hair, reaching for the heavenly scent of Bvlgari. I closed my eyes as I let the essence of Ranger wash over me. I was so wrapped up in the alluring aroma I jumped when I was grabbed from behind and pushed against the shower wall. Ranger's hands lightly rested on my hips and I could feel his erection pressing into my back. He used his foot to push my legs apart and placed soft kisses on my neck.

"The sounds you are making in here are driving me crazy Babe." His hands moved up to cup my breasts and felt him press against my entrance. Whimpering I leaned into the wall and lifted my leg, placing it on the shower ledge, giving him better access. He pushed into me and I balled my fists, moaning at the contact. That was all the encouragement he needed, wrapping one arm around my waist to hold me up be started plunging into me. He wasn't taking his time like in the office this morning either. These were quick hard thrusts that had me making unintelligible sounds. The sensation was overwhelming and I flew over the edge before I even realized I was close.

"Fuck" he groaned, tightening his hold around me. His other hand snaked down my stomach to circle my clit, "Cum for me again Babe" he growled. My body obliged his command and my knees buckled as my walls clenched around him and felt the mother of all orgasms as he exploded inside me.

My legs wouldn't hold me up and I clung to Ranger to keep from falling. He turned me in his arms, locking his hands behind my back to hold me up, and moved me back under the spray of water. I was still covered in his body wash and he dropped his lips to mine as the water cascaded over our bodies. We stood under the water, entangled in each other, passionately kissing until the water turned cold.

He wrapped me in a towel before grabbing one for himself and wrapping it around his waist. I was insatiable around this man and I couldn't help the desire to rip the towel from him and beg him to take me again. He must have read my thoughts because he gave me one of his 200 watt smiles. "I have a meeting with a client in 10 minutes so you'll have to save that thought for later Babe." Kissing me on the forehead he headed for his closet leaving me breathless in the bathroom.

There was a change of clothes on the counter for me and I quickly got dressed. I fussed with my hair but finally gave up coming to the conclusion there was no help without gel. "Come down to 5 and I'll have one of the guys drive you home when you're ready" he yelled from the foyer. Oh no, no way was I getting in a car with one of his guys after what happened this morning.

"I'll just have Lula come pick me up." I yelled back, gathering up my dirty clothes and throwing them in the hamper. He appeared in the doorway and raised an eyebrow. "No way am I going anywhere near any of your guys for a long time!" He chuckled and tossed me the keys to his Porsche.

"I'll come by and get it later." Glancing at his watching he said "I gotta go. Call me if you need me," and he was gone.

I decided to stop at Joe's to check on Bob on the way home. He didn't say how long he was going to be gone for, and since I was definitely not moving into his house now, I was going to bring Bob back to my apartment with me. As I opened the door I braced myself for the goofy dog that bounded towards me.

"Hi Bob" I scratched his back making him wiggle in excitement. Poor guy, I had totally neglected him the last day. I let him run through the yard and watched him stop to mark his territory every couple of feet. When he was satisfied he had covered the entire yard he ran into Mr. Silvio's yard, turned a couple circles, and pooped. Good boy, I thought, as he dashed back into the house.

I made a quick sweep of the downstairs grabbing some food and his leash then headed up to the bedroom to unload my clothes from Joe's drawer and closet. I didn't have a lot at his house since we were always touch and go, but I kept a few things just in case. Grabbing a laundry basket I put in a couple Rangeman shirts, tank top, shorts, pants, and underwear. I noticed the pair of black panties with the Rangeman logo on them and snickered as I remembered the argument we had gotten into when he saw them. I went to drop them in the laundry basket when I noticed another pair.

"What the hell?" Picking up the red and black thong I tried to remember when I had purchased them. Maybe they were ones Joe had bought for me. I looked for a tag, knowing I had never worn them before, but there wasn't one. Peeking inside I noticed they were a size small and froze. These were not mine. No way could I wear a size small, an no way would Joe have purchased the wrong size for me.

I ran back down to the kitchen, fished my phone out of my purse, and pressed speed dial 2. If I wasn't so mad I would have laughed at the fact that Ranger programmed Joe as 2 and himself as 1.

"Hello" Oh good, he sounded like he had been asleep.

"Hi Joe." I said cheerily not want to let on my frustration. "I was just at your house checking on Bob when I found a not so familiar pair of panties in my drawer."

"What's your point Steph?" Apparently he was still pissed from our conversation this morning. "I buy you lingerie all the time," he continued.

"See that's the thing. I thought maybe these were a new pair you had bought for me but, funny things is, there aren't any tags on them, which means they've been worn before, I definitely would remember wearing these." Silence. "You still there?" There was shuffling in the background and I swear I heard a woman ask him where he was going.

I heard a door close before he answered me. "Cupcake, I don't know why you are getting so upset. I probably just took the tag off for you." Liar.

I was surprised by how relieved I felt. Up until now I felt bad for wanting to break things off with Morelli. I honestly believed he was a good guy and, if not for the fact that I was in love with another man, we might have been good together. "Cupcake?"

"It's okay Joe. I'm not angry, hurt, but not angry." Honestly I was pretty angry but technically I had been cheating on him for the last 12 hours. And I was really only angry that he was lying to me, not that he had in fact been involved with Terry, or whoever the other woman was.

"Stephanie…" he started but I didn't want to hear another lie.

"No. Don't Joe. Before you try to convince me they are mine I should point out that they aren't even my size."He cursed under his breath and for once I didn't want to just yell and scream. I wanted him to know this was really over. "Look, I didn't want to do this over the phone but seeing as how you are 'undercover'" I let all the sarcasm I could muster up come out on that word, "I don't see another way. We can't get married. It's not fair to you or to me. I don't know why we've done this for so long but it's clear we are both in different places."

"Please let me explain Cup…"

"Don't call me that!" I spit out. "And there is nothing for you to explain. In fact, I don't think I even want to know. For a long time I've felt like there might be someone else but you know me, denial is my best friend." Taking a breath I continued, "Some things have happened in the last couple of days and I realized that this is not what I want for myself or my life." It felt good to say all that out loud.

"What things Stephanie? Ranger?" He snapped. It always did come back to Ranger. I resented the fact that he didn't believe I could actually want to change because of me.

"See, that always was our problem Joe. You never believed in me." And I hung up. It may have been childish to end the conversation that way but it really did hurt that he never thought I had any potential other than being a wife and a mother. Even in that he questioned my abilities.

Bob nudged my legs reminding me that I had promised to take care of him while Joe was away. Shit. There was only one person I could think to call.

"Hey white girl what's up?" Lula greeted me.

"I've got a job for you." I said, smiling mischievously to myself. I may not be pissed at Morelli but that didn't mean I didn't want some sort of retribution for his actions.

Lula arrived a few minutes later and I quickly gave her the Bob rundown. She agreed to stay at Joe's place until he came back. "I could shoot him for you." She offered.

"No! No guns! No shooting." Maybe this was a bad idea.

Lula pouted, "You never let me shoot anyone."

"I'll take you to Rangeman sometime and you can use their shooting range." This seemed to satisfy her and she plopped down on the couch.

"Do you think he'd care if I ordered some Pay-Per-View?"

I laughed, wishing I could be here to see Joe's face when he came home. "Order as much as you like," I replied rubbing Bob one last time and heading out to my car with my laundry basket of clothes.

This feels good. I feel free, like I can breathe better. Smiling to myself I placed the basket in the trunk of the Porsche. I was just closing the trunk when I felt the familiar zing of a taser and it was lights out.

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**This story has taken on a life of it's own. The idea in my head just seems to keep morphing. Let me know what you think. **


	7. Chapter 7: The Demise of Joe Morelli

**Thank you for all the kind reviews! I hope all you Babe's love what Joe has coming in this chapter. I'm trying to keep everyone in character but I apologize if anyone starts to take on my own perception or how I would want them to be. :)**

RPOV

The guys had been giving me shit all day. When Stephanie had fallen asleep I quietly left my office and threatened each and every one of them with 24 hour surveillance shifts, mat time, or sending them far away, if they said anything to embarrass Steph. I should have known my cousin would be the one to ignore my threats. There was no way I could send him to a third world country as my Abuela would kick my ass, but she would never know if I decided to castrate him, which is exactly what I threatened to do after the elevator incident.

It was 7pm and the meeting with my client had gone longer than planned, 2 hours longer. What was supposed to be a quick 30 minute review of their needs turned into a multiple security contract with some hotels located in Point Pleasant.

Ella had asked me if I wanted dinner but I thought Stephanie and I should sit down and finish our discussion, so I politely declined and pulled up the GPS on my Porsche to make sure she was at home. It surprised me to see she was at Morelli's and, for a minute, I felt a pain in my chest. Had she decided to not break things off with him? I could tell things had changed for her this morning and she seemed confident in her decision to end their relationship. Hitting speed dial 1 I waiting for her to answer, no need in showing up if her and Morelli were in the middle of making up. Not that I wouldn't mind having an excuse to shoot him, which I would, but I didn't want to see him touching her.

She didn't answer so I left her a message to call me. I rummaged through the fridge but since I don't keep much but water in there I didn't find anything to eat. Opening up my cabinets I found some white bread and peanut butter from the slayer incident and smiled at Stephanie's choice of food. The temple could take a break tonight, I thought, and pulled out two pieces of bread and spread on some peanut butter. Before slapping the pieces together I opened another cupboard and found a jar of olives. "What the hell," I muttered, deciding to throw them on as well.

I stared at the sandwich for a minute trying to decide if I was really going to eat it. Shrugging my shoulders I took a bite. Not bad, but definitely not as good as Ella's cooking. I quickly finished off the sandwich and glanced at the computer again, still at Morelli's.

My phone rang and I hoped it was my babe, Tanks number appeared "Yo," I answered.

" Joe's out of town right?" I shook my head and scolded myself for being so distracted by wanting to see Stephanie that I forgot Joe was working 'undercover'. Or at least that what he told her when he wanted a weekend with Terry Gilman. Everyone at Rangeman knew he was cheating on her, and all of my men were pissed I didn't use that to my advantage to make my move.

"Last I heard. Why?"

"Lula asked me to meet her there… I just wanted to make sure the cop wasn't going to be around." I smiled, thinking about how weird but perfect Tank and Lula were for each other.

"As far as I know he's with Terry at the shore this weekend. Looks like Steph is there though. If I can catch a ride with you I'll get her out of the house for you."

"Lula said Steph left a couple hours ago." Tank replied, sounding confused. Walking back over to my computer I hit refresh, checking her location again.

"GPS says my Porsche has been sitting at Morelli's for 3 hours now." I closed my eyes as the familiar anxiety washed over me. Something wasn't right. Tank felt it too as he cursed and agreed to meet me in the garage.

On the way to Morelli's I called the control room to have them pull up the location of the bugs I always placed in her purse. "Looks like she's at Morelli's boss," Ramos replied. Hanging up I relayed the information to Tank.

"Call Lula and make sure Stephanie really isn't there." Flipping my phone open I called her phone once more, getting voicemail again. "Fuck!"

"Lula said she left a few hours ago after packing up her stuff. Stephanie told her she was going back to her apartment."

"Alright, get a team over to her apartment and another two to drive around Trenton. Maybe she decided to go for a walk or something." Right. Stephanie wouldn't voluntarily walk anywhere if she didn't have to.

We were just turning onto Joe's road when Tank finished giving out the order. Pulling up behind the Porsche I immediately looked for a sign of struggle or something to indicate where she had gone. There was no damage to the Porsche on the outside so I opened the door to see if there were any clues inside. Her purse was on the passenger seat, "Shit." No way would she have left her purse. Popping the trunk, I prayed I wouldn't find her body, and was relieved to find a laundry basket of clothes and various cosmetics. Guilt washed over me for questioning her sincerity of leaving Joe but I quickly swallowed it down to focus on the task at hand.

Lula stood in the doorway and called out "What's going on Tankie. Something wrong with Stephanie?"

Tank blushed at her using his nickname and walked towards her to fill her in. I need to question her myself, maybe I'm missing something.

I followed Tank over and nodded to her, "Tell me what happened."

"White girl called me and asked me to come watch Bob until Joe came back. Apparently she found another womans panties in one of her drawers and called to confront him. Stupid cops been sleeping around on her. I swear, I'm going to shoot him when he comes home. Ain't no man sleeping around on my best friend." I had to count to 10 to keep from strangling her. Tank recognized my agitation and encouraged her to get to the part where she left. "Oh sorry. Well she just grabbed her stuff and said I could order as much pay-per-view that I wanted and then walked out the door." Tank and I smiled at the pay-per-view comment, good job Babe. I noticed Bob behind Lula furiously trying to get past her so he could rub up against Tank and I. Lula moved out of the way and Bob flew into the yard stopping to pee every few feet. Then he ran towards the Porsche and I followed, curious as to where he was going. Maybe he wasn't as dumb as he looked and could follow her scent or something. Nope, he was just pooping in the neighbor's yard. God what they feed that dog?

A man opened the front door and started shaking his fist and yelling at me "Get that goddamn dog outta my yard! That girlfriend of the cops is always bringing him over her to do his business and she never picks it up!" Despite the circumstances I could help but chuckle and picture Stephanie training the dog to poop anywhere but in Morelli's yard. "And move that damn car! I'm tired of people always parking in front of my house!"

"Did you see someone parked here" he motioned towards the explorer "earlier?"

"What? Do you think I got nothing better to do with my day then to sit and watch who parks where?" I mentally rolled my eyes thinking Stephanie would be proud if she could see. Of course this man had nothing to do but watch the road. If he did, he wouldn't be complaining about it right now. The man waved a hand in the air and continued, "There was a man just sitting there for 20 minutes a couple hours ago. When that girl came out of the house he got out to talk to her."

"What kind of car?" I demanded.

"I don't know. Some SUV of sorts, blue. Anything else?" The man was impatiently trying to return to his house. Shaking my head I ran back to Tank. "And clean up this damn dog shit!" the man yell behind him.

"Call the control room. Have them pull up any FTA's and distractions that Stephanie has worked that owns a blue SUV. It's not much to go on but it's all we have for now."

SPOV

My head was pounding and for an instant I thought I was back in the hospital with a concussion. Sadness pierced me thinking Ranger and I hadn't shared those intimate moments together. Slowly I opened my eyes. This was definitely not the hospital. Sighing, I remembered putting my clothes in Ranger's car and then being tased. Well, at least the sex hadn't been a dream.

I was proud of myself for not panicking. I guess that's what happens when you regularly get kidnapped. I really do need a new job. Looking around the room I noticed a small window in the corner and stairs that lead up to a door. I must be in a basement. Whoever had captured me hadn't bothered to tie me up so I was free to roam around. I headed to the window first, trying to figure out where I was. There were other houses around but I couldn't tell what street we were on. Hopefully I was still in Trenton.

Reaching the latch at the top of the window I tried to push it up but it wouldn't budge. Figures.

The locks on the door tumbled and I turn to see who my captor was. "You!" I screamed looking up at Luis Marino. "You blew up my car you jerk!" Luis laughed and continued down the stairs. "What do you want Marino?" I thought if I jumped right the point this whole holding me captive thing would be over quicker.

"I want your boyfriend actually." Ranger?

"What do you want with Ranger?" I asked, confusion clear in my voice. He paused and tilted his head to the side, kinda like a puppy that is trying to figure out what you're saying.

"The bounty hunter?" I nodded, thinking I had missed something but couldn't figure out what it was. "No. The cop."

Oh. Yeah. I guess 'burg' gossip hadn't had a chance to spread around Joe and I splitting. "I guess this is my lucky day then cause Joe and I aren't together anymore."

"Nice try sweetheart." He pulled out a phone, dialed a number, and handed it to me.

Well this was new. Most kidnappers disapprove of calling for help. But hey, who am I to complaint?

"Morelli." I froze. "Hello?"

"Uh… Joe. It's Steph." I was praying he wouldn't hang up on me and I'd have a chance to ask him for help.

"Where are you? Ranger said you've been taken again." He sounded annoyed more than concerned and it pissed me off.

"Oh you know, I'm just locked in some basement, on some street, in God knows what town. But I'm okay, thanks for asking."

Luis was cocking his head again, this time smiling in amusement. Good to know someone was having fun.

"Christ Stephanie! Now's not the time for games…." I heard commotion on his side of the phone and then sighed in relief when Rangers unmistakable voice came over the line.

"Babe, where are you?" I could hear the concern and tenderness in his voice and breathed a sigh of relief.

"He wants to know where I'm at," I directed towards Luis.

"Who are you talking to?" Ranger asked. Luis tried to grab the phone from me, clearly frustrated that things weren't going the way he wanted.

Turning I yelled before the phone was ripped away from me "Luis Marino has me!"

"Is this Detective Morelli?" Marino growled into the phone. I saw him straighten his spine and could only imagine the threats Ranger was making. Luis continued, voice an octave higher than before "I didn't want the girl anyway. I was waiting for the cop and she just happened to be there." He was sweating and his breathing had increased, "Please sir, I haven't hurt her at all. I'd be more than happy to bring her back and trade for the cop." How the hell did Ranger scare the shit out of people over the phone? Luis's hand shot down between his legs and protectively cupped himself. Whatever Ranger's threat was, Luis was taking it very seriously.

Out of the small window I could see a black SUV coming down the road. Luis was still distracted by the phone so I turned and ran up the stairs, out the front door, and into the street. The SUV came to stop just before me and Lester, Hal, Cal, and Tank exited the vehicle and stormed into the house.

Ranger's Porsche was close behind and he was just closing his phone as he wrapped his arms around me. "You okay?" I nodded as he brushed a kiss accross my lips.

"Nice to see you've jumped from my bed to his Cupcake." Morelli snarled, stepping out of the Porsche. "Oh wait, you were in his bed before you even left mine so, never mind."

"You have no right!" I spun on him, pointing my finger in his face. "You've been sleeping with Terry Gilman for God knows how long!" Screw trying to be civil about this. "Or maybe you've never stopped sleeping with her. How long Joe?"

His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I should ask you the same thing," he nodded in Rangers direction.

"Are you kidding me?" I screeched. "How dare you accuse me of cheating on you!" My hands were fisted at my side and I could feel my arms shaking. Ranger rested his hand on my neck in an attempt to calm me but I was beyond comfort at this point. "For your information Ranger and I have only been together once" until today, I added in my head, "four years ago, and it was while we were on a break!"

Joe laughed and shook his head. "Whatever you say _Cupcake_" he made the word sound derogatory.

He turned around to leave "Don't you dare walk away from me Joe Morelli!" I reached out and grabbed his arm, jerking him back. "If you thought I was sleeping with Ranger then why did you ask me to marry you?"

Wrenching his arm from my grasp he glared down at me. "Do you really want to know?" His voice was menacing and if I hadn't known him my whole life I might have been scared. Instead I squared my shoulders, crossed my arms, and nodded for him to continue. Before he went on he glanced around noting the crowd that had gathered. A few neighbors were standing in their doorways, phones in hand, my mother was probably having a heart attack; the merry men had already put Luis in the car and were gathered behind me, hands resting on their guns. Ranger of course was right at my back, doing his best to ground me.

It made me smile to think all these men would gladly risk their careers to shoot a cop if he tried to hurt me. "Go on Joe. This needs to be the last conversation we have and I'd like to at least understand what happened and why." I was no longer yelling but my tone was firm, letting him know I wasn't going to back down.

His eyes met mine again and I saw what looked to be pity as he said "Terry's pregnant. If I'm not already married by the time she tells her family I'll have to marry her." There was a string of curses behind me from Rangers men.

Everything happened so fast after that it was if I was on autopilot. Reaching behind me I grabbed Rangers gun and shot Joe in leg. "You bastard!" I aimed at his other leg but the shot missed as Ranger pushed my arm up. He ripped the gun from my hands and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me towards his car. "You fucking bastard! How dare you!" I continued to scream at Joe.

I was thrown into the passenger seat of the car and looked to see Tank helping Joe off the pavement, a pool of blood growing beneath him. Tears were streaming down my face and I angrily wiped at them. I heard sirens in the distance and saw Ranger, not so kindly, assist Joe into the Explorer.

Carl and Eddie, two of my friends from the police station approached Ranger and Joe. I reached for the handle, wanting to defend myself but the door wouldn't open. Screaming in frustration, a fresh set of tears began, and I punched the dash. White hot pain radiated up my arm indicating I had probably just broke something.

There was a tap on the window and Carl motioned for me to step out of the car. "It won't open," I mumbled, cradling my wrist. He reached out and pulled the handle, the door opening effortlessly. Of course Stephanie, you would be the only one to not know how to open a door, I thought to myself.

Scowling, and still holding my wrist, I stepped out of the car. Ranger joined us and raised an eyebrow at my wrist. "If you're going to arrest me can you please not use handcuffs? I'm pretty sure I just broke my wrist."

Carl smiled at me, "Now why in world would we be arresting you Steph?"

I opened my mouth to try to explain but nothing came out. Glancing at Ranger I saw a smile playing at his lips. "Babe, the police don't usually arrest someone when a gun misfires."

"Is that what happened Steph?" Carl asked. I only nodded still not sure I could find my voice. "Alright then. Do you want to ride along to the hospital with us?" He nodded towards his police car where Eddie and Joe were already waiting. I shook my head and watched him walk away.

RPOV

My heart broke as I took-in Stephanie, watching the police drive away. Her eyes were red rimmed and there were tear stains down her cheeks. She was cradling her left wrist, which looked to be broken, and her shoulders were hunched over as if she was in physical pain. My fingers twitched, wanting to reach out to her, and I pulled her into my arms. It always felt right when I held her, lik the missing piece of the puzzle had been found. Rubbing her back I whispered soothing words as she continued to cry.

I'll have to admit, she surprised the hell out of me when she grabbed my gun and shot Joe. I know my guys were itching for him to give them a reason to shoot, but never in a million years did I expect her to do what she did. He deserved it though. No, he deserved a lot worse. If there weren't so many people watching I might have let her shoot him again. Bastard was right. I've watched him tear her down time and time again, try to convince her to be someone she is not, only to knock her down one last time once she was ready to move on.

What was he thinking? I knew something was up when he asked her to marry him like he did. It all made sense now. Joes life was about to be turned upside down when Terry's family finds out she's pregnant. Now way will they allow him to walk away from her. What an idiot. And to try to trick Stephanie into fixing it for him. Maybe I'll let her shoot him in the other leg once he gets out of the hospital.

Stephanie's cries quieted down and her blue eyes were piercing as she gazed up at me. I felt my heart clench and wanted nothing more than the take this woman home and make love to her all night long. Shit. If I'm being honest, I want to make love to her for the rest of my life. I gently touched my lips to hers, trying to reflect my feelings in the kiss. I pulled back and looked into her eyes again. How could Morelli have hurt her like that? This beautiful woman with so much energy and life, how could anyone ever hurt her?

I closed my eyes as I acknowledged the guilt that I suddenly felt. Morelli wasn't the only one who had been hurting her; the emotional pain I caused was just as bad as what he just did. I lightly brushed my lips across her temple, "How's your wrist?"

"Hurts," my heart tightened again at the hoarseness of her voice.

"Do you want to go to the hospital or have Bobby check it out?" She was quiet while contemplating her options.

"Bobby" she finally decided. I wrapped my arm around her waist and helped her back into the car. While I felt bad for her emotional and physical pain, I found joy in the idea of helping her shower for the next couple of weeks.


	8. Chapter 8: The Discussion

**This is it guys... the final chapter. Please let me know if anyone feels like there are lose ends and I can throw together and epilogue. **

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Ranger drove me back to Hayward so Bobby could take a look at my wrist. Thankfully I hadn't actually broken anything, just a bad sprain. He showed me how to wrap it and told me it would be tender and sore for a few days. Ice would help but most importantly, I should not use it for awhile.

As the adrenaline from the day's events wore off my eyes became heavy. Ranger and I made our way up to 7 and I collapsed onto his leather couch. I could hear him rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and hoped he was bringing me a glass of wine. Closing my eyes I replayed the last two day. I started to understand my mom's exasperation with my job as I realized how fucked up my life was. My car had been blown up… again, I was kidnapped… again, I shot my ex-boyfriend, sprained my wrist, puked on batman, and I had sex loud enough for every one of the merry men to hear. I grimaced at that thought but then smiled when it triggered the shower sex too. That was a good thing.

I guess there were other good things about today as well. Joe finally told me the truth about him and Terry. I was still pissed but was starting to feel bad about shooting him. What if he had to have surgery? Or, oh God! What if I hit an artery or something and he's dead now! No… someone would have called me, right?

Rangers hand caressed my check and I opened my eyes to see him standing above me. "Do you want me to call and check on Joe?"

"How do you do that?" I whispered, earning me a soft smile. Without answering he made a phone call and inquired as to Morelli's status.

Snapping his phone shut he filled me in, "Just a flesh wound babe. He got 8 stitches and went home a few minutes ago." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Then I scowled when I realized he probably wasn't in very much pain. And, what, a flesh wound would heal in a couple days. Bastard.

Reading my mind again Ranger said "I could make him suffer." An image of Marino grabbing himself made me laugh at what Ranger was probably imagining he could do to Morelli. This earned me a raised eyebrow and I couldn't help but ask.

"What did you say to Marino? He seemed terrified of you." If you didn't know Ranger you wouldn't have been it but I saw him shrug.

Still ignoring the question he handed me a plate with a Peanut butter and olive sandwich on it. My eyes lit up and reached to pick it up with both hands, scowling when I realized I still couldn't use my left. Ranger chuckled and tore the sandwich apart, handing me half. When I finished the other half I sighed in contentment and leaned back against the couch, Ranger mirroring my position on the opposite side.

With Ranger silence isn't unusual, but tonight I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Like there was something that needed to be said, and neither one of us knew where to start.

Okay Stephanie, think of a safe topic first. There were a lot of changes that I wanted to make, one of them being my job. Maybe I could start there. Ranger always said I could work full-time for him if I wanted. "I'm thinking about quitting bounty hunting."

This earned me a nod, as if he already knew it was coming. "And I don't want to live in my apartment anymore. It doesn't feel safe." I could tell that surprised him. Still he didn't say anything and the awkward silence returned.

"Where do you want to work?" his voice was soft and at first I wasn't sure if I was making it up in my head or if he really spoke. "Steph." He prompted. Oh, I guess he did say it out loud.

I shrugged. I couldn't just tell him I wanted to work for him. What if he didn't want me around all the time anymore? But there was no way I was working at the personal products factory so if a job at Rangeman was out then I'd have to stick it out with Vinnie for awhile longer. Although I promised myself no more hiding and denial, so suck it up Stephanie and ask if you can work at Rangeman.

"There's always a job for you here." Raising my eyes to the ceiling I silently thanked God.

"That would be great." I felt him shift on the couch and then his finger ran down my cheek cupping my chin to make me look at him.

"I'm proud of you. It took a lot of courage to confront Morelli today."

"I probably shouldn't have shot him." We both chuckled. "I have no idea how I got a hold of you gun that quickly."

"You never disappoint babe." He leaned in and brushed his lips across mine. "Come to bed with me Stephanie," he pleaded. I just nodded and followed him into the bedroom.

Gently he pushed me so I was sitting on the bed and kneeled before me. Our lips met and anticipation welled inside me. Even though I'd already slept with Ranger twice today, something was different this time and I couldn't fight the nerves building in my stomach.

His tongue licked my lower lip and I opened up to let him inside. Our movements weren't frantic but calm and almost tranquil. I surrendered to the feel of his soft lips on mine, of his tongue darting in and out of my mouth. His hands skimmed under my shirt and caressed my breasts. Arching my back I pressed into him, wanting more. The kiss was broken as he slid my shirt over my head. Placing hot kisses along my jaw he worked his way down my neck while his hands unhooked my bra, sliding the straps down my arms and tossing the garment over his shoulder.

He lightly pinched my nipples between his thumb and fingers and I moan at the sensation. Groaning in response he licked and nipped at my ear lobe whispering "I love that sound". I couldn't help it, I moan again, this time with a sharp intake of breath as he bit down on one of my nipples.

I could hear the blood pulsing in my ears and knew if he continued I was going to cum before he got even close to the promised land. His tongue swirled around my nipple and I bucked into him. Switching breasts he focused his assault on my other nipple. His hands were caressing my back and stomach and he returned them to play with my breasts as he kissed his way down my stomach. Softly he urged me to lie back on the bed and I obliged.

His hands left my breasts to pull his shirt off and I reached out to run my hand over his now bear chest. This man was so beautiful; I couldn't believe how lucky I was that he would share these moments with me.

I felt my shoes and socks being removed and then his hands running up my calves, my thighs, and lightly over the one place I wanted him to be. He smiled at my impatience and unbuttoned my jeans, slowly pulling them over my hips and down my legs.

Soft kisses were placed on my stomach as he drew small circles on the inside of my thighs. "Ranger, please". He moved his lips lower as his hands discarded my panties, exposing my slickness. He took one of my legs and pulled it over his shoulder spreading me wide and rested his head on my thigh. I could feel his breath on my hot center as he ran two fingers over my clit causing me to writher on the bed. "God Ranger, please," I begged. Slowly he moved his fingers south and circled them around my entrance. I tried to lift my hips but he held me in place before slowly sliding them into me.

My moan was loud as I felt my muscles clench around him. Painfully slow he pulled them out of me and returned to circling my clit. "I'm so close Ranger, please don't stop." This time he dropped his head and sucked my nub into his mouth, thrusting his fingers inside me. I came immediately and screamed his name.

He smiled up at me as his fingers continued to slide in and out prolonging the orgasm. He used his other hand to undo his pants and I felt another orgasm building as his fingers continued their assault inside me. He could feel my walls tightening again, "I love watching you cum babe." He dropped his mouth to my clit again and swirled his tongue around. Just as the beginnings of the orgasm hit me he sucked me back into his mouth gently biting down. I flew over the edge crying out his name.

As I was catching my breath I felt him poise above me, nudging my legs apart so he could enter. "No, not yet," I whispered watching a pained expression cross his face.

"Babe, I need to be inside you. Now." He demanded. I smiled and pulled him so he was lying next to me. Slowly I stood and knelt between his knees. "Steph. " I could hear the warning in his voice.

"Let me do this Ranger." I lowered my mouth and licked the precum off his tip. I heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up to see his eyes squeezed shut, hands balled into the covers. I sucked his tip into my mouth and swirled my tongue around his head.

Languidly I sucked more of him into my mouth until I felt his tip hit the back of my throat. Locking my lips around his cock I pulled up until his head met the inside of my lips, then I sucked him back down again. "Fuuuk Steph…."

This time I opened my throat taking all of him in me, drawing circles with my tongue around his base. I continued to slide my mouth up and down, sucking and licking at all the right spots. I could feel the tension in his legs, keeping himself from thrusting into me.

Letting out a low moan he released his hands and pulled my mouth from his cock. "I need to be inside of you when I cum Babe, please." His voice was strained his eyes pleaded with me.

He scooted back on the bed, pulling me with him. Straddling his erection I lowered myself onto him whimpering at the contact. Resting my sprained wrist on my leg I leaned back using my right arm for support. Lazily I circled my hips knowing I was teasing him.

He growled and flipped us, never loosing contact. His mouth crashed down on mine and I cried out as I felt him thrust inside me. It was quick and hard and amazing. I could hear the soft slapping when our skin connecting and I wrapped my legs around his waist encouraging him to go deeper and harder. He reached up and grabbed the headboard for leverage as he pounded into me. His eyes never left mine as he fucked me like I had never been fucked before. I closed my eyes as I felt my orgasm build and cried out at the sensation.

"Touch yourself" he demanded as his pace quickened. I could see the muscles in his neck tighten and knew he was holding out for me. Sliding my hand down my stomach I hesitated, never being this vulnerable with anyone before. "Please, babe. God please."

His eyes followed my hand and he groaned as he watched me circle my clit both of us coming undone at the same time. Tears filled my eyes as the most intense orgasm shot through every nerve in my body. I felt Ranger shudder as he spilled inside me.

He was still embedded in me when I opened my eyes. Lowering his head to my shoulder he tried to catch his breath.

"Dios, that was amazing." I lost track of time as we lay in eachothers arms stroking and kissing.

He pulled out of me and curled into my back, throwing a blanket over us before circling his arms around me. Soft kisses were placed on my back and shoulder and I closed my eyes savoring the moment.

"Move in with me" he whispered before sucking at my ear. My heart sped up wanting so badly for what he said to be real. "You were right Steph. I've been calling what we have anything other than what it is." Holy shit, was Batman about to change his stance on relationships? "When you confronted Morelli today I was so proud of you, proud that you finally stood up for yourself and stopped letting him hurt you. But at the same time I realized I should be proud of you for standing up to me as well."

I turned to look in his eyes. I needed to know if this was real. He grazed his lips across mine before continuing. "I love you Steph. No qualifiers. I've been an ass and tried to come up with any excuse to keep you at a distance but, I don't want to anymore. I'll probably suck at being a boyfriend." He laughed, "Hell it's been 8 years since I opened myself up to a relationship and the only reason I did that was because Rachel was pregnant." He turned serious again, "Please Stephanie, give me a chance."

Everything fell into place for me and for once, I knew I was making the right decision. There was no second guessing, no worries about what my mother would think, and no guilt.

"When we were in your office today I realized that my life was in chaos because I wasn't following my own lead. While I always did what I wanted, I held back a part of who I really was so I could try to please everyone, including you." I took a deep breath and pushed on

"Part of me was terrified to end things with Joe because I've never been without a man, but another part of me was terrified because there was a chance you might make good on your threat to occupy my bed. You scare me Ranger" he pulled back "No… just listen."

Once he relaxed I continued, "Emotionally you scare me Ranger. You are the only person who has ever seen right though my lies, the only person I trust wholeheartedly, the only person that pushes me to be who I really am. And that scares me. But if I'm honest, I'm not scared because I don't want it. I'm scared because for once I feel like everything is right, that for once I can stop worrying about what other people might think. For once I might have a chance at finding out who I really am and what I can offer the world. You give me that courage and I would love nothing more than to move in with you and give you a chance to continue to push me into being who I really am."

My speech earned me a 200-Watt smile before his lips crushed mine in another bone melting kiss. "You never disappoint Babe."

"And I always get my man."


End file.
